New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-11
MIR. BRIDGERSS EXPERIENCE IN URU-
GT4Y


The reasons assigned by Mr.. p. L. Bridgcrs.
our late Consul at Montevideo, for resignlng
his post and retiring from official life GER
tainly moro than Justify his course No one
can read them and fail to be satisfied that
Mr. Bridgers had no option but to resign.
Although Mr.. Brdgers may have been ana
was. for aught we know to the contrary,
most excellent officer, it is no disrcspect to him
to say that if his resignation has any influence
in correcting the evils which caused 1T, 1t
will be the most useful thing he did during
his entire term Of service
The case of Mr. Bridgers Is worth stating IN
detail, for though it is an unhappily common
one. vet it rarely gets to the attention OF inc
public lie is young man under thTty
years of age, and when selected to represent
his country in Uruguay he felt pardonable
emotion of pride The salary was only $1,000.
but he was led by friends to suppose that his
conversation would be swe!led by fees to at
least $4,000 lie started for Montcvidco in
February. 1886, and remained there year.
During that time he received just 500 In
fees. and out of the $500 he was compelled
to pay the travelling expenses of himself ana
his family, his clerk hire OF 5000; his rent
of 5000 and his living expenses. lie found
that his entire compensation scarcely paid his
travelling expenses and the cost of maintain
ing his consulate His house rent and domes-
tic expenses had to be paid from his own
pocket.
Mr. Bridgcrs had left n profitable business
in order to serve his country, and luckily he
had some means of his own. Had he at
tcmptcd TO live on his salary, he would have
been compelled TO reside in tenement ana
turn his wife into a cook and waShwoman.
Though quite willing upon an adequate coca
sion to sacrifice himself on his countrys altar.
he scarcely felt called upon to draw so heavily
on his stock of patriotism as would have been
necessary had he remained in Uruguay, and
he therefore rcinquished his honors and came
home. There wcr, other consuls in Monte
vidco, the representatives of England, Ger
many France and Italy. One would imagine
that commerce which warranted these Euro
pcan countries in maintaining large ana
Thoroughly equipped consulatcs was certainly
worth American pursuit Mr.. Bridgcrs saw
the consuls of these nations supported as
became civilized and entcrprising govern
ments lie saw an average OF two 1Orclgn
steamers a day coming into the port OF Monte
vldeo flying the cOlors Of England, France
Italv Germany, Spain or Portugal, but the
only American flag he saw flew over inc
consulate that he was supporting from his
own pocket. These steamships, at first sub
sidized by the countries they came from, were
now moro than sclf-supporting and were
taking away SO per cent Of the Uruguayan
trade.
1t did not surprise Mr.. Bridgers TO find
that while the Europeans in Uruguay were
treated with consideration and respect, Amer
leans were held in discstosm if not rcproach.
He found that with most Of our consus II
was a question Of steal or starvc, and none.
so far as he could discover, were starving.
Tho fees which he had heard so much about
before he left America for his post were fees
to which consuls had no sort Of right In TACT.
IL was difficult 10 distinguish them from black
mail. and as the result Of his observations he
holds tho practices of many cOnsuls not less
than the beggarly and blind policy OF our
Government, to be responsible Tor the con-
temptuous feeling with which the United
States Is regarded by the South Americans.
England considers that tho trade she gets
from Brazil, the Argentine Republic and
Uruguay justifes her in paying 100000
annually for mail service. Tho Cleveland
Administration though authorized by Congress
to pav reasonable compensation, concluded
that $1,000 was all that the commerce of
these rich and growing countries was worth
10 tho United States. II passes comprchcn-
sion that men Of sense persist in this fool
policy.